Why now may be the best time to book your flights

Major Indian airlines are offering risk-free cancellations and bookings

It’s absolutely normal if you’re unsure about booking a holiday in these times of coronavirus. No one knows how the next few weeks will play out, and what parts of the world will go ‘off the list’. (At least three countries are not taking travellers from India now–and India itself has proscribed travel to at least 12 countries). But someday, COVID-19 will no longer be such a big threat and it will be business as usual. With that in mind, some of the bigger Indian airlines have eased up their rules and will let you rebook or even cancel tickets without any cost. If you’re in two minds about a vacation, this might be just the right time to plan. Here’s a short summary:

GoAir

You can book flights on the entire GoAir network–domestic and international–between 8March 2020 till 30 April, for travel between 8March and 30. No cancellation or rebooking fees will apply, provided you cancel (or change) 14 days before departure. If you’re rebooking, price difference will still apply.

IndiGo & SpiceJet

Unlike GoAir, IndiGo and SpiceJet’s rebooking policies currently cover only rebookings, not cancellations. The airlines have waived change fees for flights already booked for travel between 12 March and 31 March. The waiver also covers fresh bookings between 12 March and 31 March, though the travel period hasn’t been specified. For IndiGo, any rescheduling must be done at least three days prior to the departure for the zero-charge policy to apply. SpiceJet hasn’t specified the rebooking window yet.

AirAsia

Air Asia is offering free rescheduling on its flights within India till 31 March. Flights can be rescheduled to any later date, but you must rebook at least three days prior to departure. And the no-fee rescheduling applies only in the first instance—you can’t reschedule more than once.

*As of 12 noon on Monday, Vistara and Air India have not announced any changes to their rebooking policies.

A few points to consider:

For all airlines, you will still have to bear the price difference if you reschedule.

You can truly benefit only if you book directly through the airline. Third-party booking sites or aggregators may still levy their own service/cancellation/transaction fees. Only IXIGO has waived all cancellation charges, no-questions-asked. Read about ithere.

With demand collapsing, and with newer containment measures being introduced every day, there is a chance that airline schedules may change. Factor that when you plan.

Major hotel chains have already rolled out easy refunds and rebookings. Get the listhere.